YEMEN

Four men seized Amer, editor of the weekly Al-Wasat, as he returned home from his office at 5:30 a.m. Amer told CPJ that the men bundled him into a waiting car, blindfolded and bound him, and, after changing cars, drove him to a desolate area outside of the city. Amer said the men beat him with their fists and accused him of getting funding from the U.S. and Kuwaiti embassies, Amer said. One of the men warned him about defaming unspecified "officials."

Amer said he was released about four hours later. In a particularly disturbing observation, Amer said he believes the initial car belonged to the Yemeni Republican Guard, based on the numeric configuration of its license plate, "11121/2."

Yemeni journalists told CPJ that Amer's newspaper has been a harsh critic of the government and frequently publishes stories about corruption and government misconduct. Recent articles have addressed government nepotism and authorities' response to rioting last month.